How Dante’s Inferno influenced the Film The House that Jack Built
By Jake Britton
Dante’s Divine Comedy is one of the most influential works of past times. His creative storytelling allows insight into religion, government, and morality. His work is split into three main sections: Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. In The Inferno, he tells of his journey into and through hell. Dante is guided through the nine circles of hell by a poet named Virgil. Each circle is reserved for people who committed the corresponding sin. The circles are Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Angert, Heresy, Violence, Fraud and Treachery. The movie, The House That Jack Built shows Jack moving through these circles led by a man named Verge. The movie follows Jack through a series of 5 murders he commits. Early in his life, we see Jack struggle with trying to be normal and hold back his characteristic traits and desires that lead him to kill. He has extreme OCD and is focused on pursuing an architectural career. After his first victim, Jack becomes less organized and more personal with his crimes. Leading up to his final crime we hear the voice of Verge speaking. Verge claims Jack is not the first murderer he has encountered. He provides insight and questions into the motivation and deeper meaning of Jack’s crime. The movie ends, leaving the audience questioning what happens to Jack. Did Jack die? What was the importance of the locked room in the freezer, and the role of Verge? The parallels between the House that Jack Built and the Inferno provide proof that Jack committed suicide before the cops could get him.
After finally opening the freezer, Jack encounters Verge for the first time. Verge questions Jack about his ambition to build a house, which results in the construction of a house with the bodies of his victims. The journey that follows demonstrates the similarities and differences between Verge and Virgil. Virgil serves as a guide to Dante, stopping frequently to talk with the inhabitants of hell. Verge on the other hand is an angel of death and focuses on providing an introspective look at Jack. As Jack’s journey into hell continues the similarities become clear. Dante and Jack both have a high level of respect for their guides and are immensely curious about hell which helps to develop the narrative symmetry. Both depict hell as split into multiple circles that place inhabitants based on the corresponding sin.
By Lars von Trier relating his film extremely closely to the storyline of the Inferno, I think it is important to think critically about some of Verge's last words. When they reach the farthest point of their journey, one step away from the bottom of hell and the devil himself Verge says “It’s actually not here I’m to deliver you however improbable that may seem but instead a couple circles up.” Based on this comment, I believe them to be in the ninth circle somewhere in rounds 1-3. On Dante's journey, the last circle before entering the center of hell was treachery. Two of his five murders fit into this circle. Jack takes his family out for a picnic in the forest before something flips in his head, leading him to kill them following the ethical rule of hunting. This crime fits the criteria of round 1 in the ninth circle. Round one is an area in hell reserved for traitors to family. When Dante visits, he explains seeing two brothers in this round locked together, heads tilted down, and tears freezing over their eyes. He learns that they are here for the murder of their father. I believe Jack’s 4th murder also fits into the ninth circle but in round 3. Jack is at home with a woman on what appears to be a romantic evening. During this night, he seemingly decides she is stupid enough to kill. In this situation, I feel that the woman can be considered a guest of Jack. Therefore he would be betraying a relationship he chose to start. Neither of these locations, however, is where Jack is intended to be taken. As a result, we can determine that Jack must be headed to the seventh circle of hell, which is for violence. It does not make sense that he would enter the outer ring as although he was violent against people, he committed worse crimes in murders 1 and 4 that could place him further in the depths of hell. Therefore, I believe Verge was supposed to take him to the middle ring saved for those who commit suicide.
In conclusion, Lars Von Trier's film The House That Jack Built intertwines closely with Dante’s journey in the Inferno. The similarities between Verge and Vergil and the depiction of 9 circles of hell provide an unmistakable reuse of Dante's work. This connection allows for reflection on morality, consequences, and Jack’s life. When analyzing Jack’s crimes in the context of Dante’s circles I was able to support the theory that Jack took his own life before the cops could.
Work cited
The House That Jack Built. Directed by Lars Von Trier, 2018.